Monday, August 3, 2009

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #2

Frank Tieri has put together a fun little limited series that highlights one of my favorite Avengers; Wonder Man. As the story progresses, we find out that Wonder Man joined up with his brother, the Grim Reaper, and the new Lethal Legion because Wondy was so offended at the idea of Norman Osborn taking over the Avengers. Wonder Man overestimated his abilities and decided that he would try to reform the crew the same way Cap did with the "Kooky Quartet" and Hawkeye did with the Thunderbolts. Tieri did some really neat stuff with WM here, having Wondy talk about why he felt he had to go back to his brother. Regardless of whatever else has happened in their relationship, the Reaper is still his brother and it was Wonder Man's "death" back in Avengers 4 that turned the Reaper into a villain. I loved this look at the fall of Wonder Man's plan to reform the Legion. There is more to the story, like the actual assault the Legion attempts on Avengers Tower, some nice fleshing out of Absorbing Man's past, and the ongoing plot of who betrayed the Legion. All these elements mix together to make a very entertaining story that may actually hold up as a good Avengers story when its over.

Mateus Santolouco keeps the art nice and gritty, which is appropriate for this crime-based story. He still does a nice job making Wondy look a bit out of place, he's brigher and more heroic looking than the surrounding characters, especially in the flashbacks.